Interoperability for distributed overlay virtual environments

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the invention relate to providing interoperability between hosts supporting multiple encapsulation. One embodiment includes a method that includes mapping packet encapsulation protocol type information for virtual switches. Each virtual switch is associated with one or more virtual machines (VMs). It is determined whether one or more common encapsulation protocol types exist for a first VM associated with a first virtual switch and a second VM associated with a second virtual switch based on the mapping. A common encapsulation protocol type is selected if it is determined that one or more common encapsulation protocol types exist for the first virtual switch and the second virtual switch. A packet is encapsulated for communication between the first VM and the second VM using the selected common encapsulation protocol type.

BACKGROUND

Embodiments of the invention relate to overlay virtual environments and,in particular, providing interoperability between hosts supportingmultiple encapsulation networks.

Network virtualization that use overlays use encapsulation, such asvirtual extensible local area network (VxLAN) encapsulation and networkvirtualization generic routing encapsulation (NVGRE), which may besupported by a hypervisor and networking vendors. To use VxLAN or NVGREencapsulation, hypervisor virtual switches are modified to support therespective overlay technology. Incompatibility with encapsulation typesmakes it necessary to use a translation gateway, which translatesbetween the different packet formats. The translation gateways are oftencommunication bottlenecks, which may impact communication performance.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Embodiments of the invention relate to providing interoperabilitybetween hosts supporting multiple encapsulation. One embodiment includesa method that includes mapping packet encapsulation protocol typeinformation for virtual switches. Each virtual switch is associated withone or more virtual machines (VMs). In one embodiment, it is determinedwhether one or more common encapsulation protocol types exist for afirst VM associated with a first virtual switch and a second VMassociated with a second virtual switch based on the mapping. In oneembodiment, a common encapsulation protocol type is selected if it isdetermined that one or more common encapsulation protocol types existfor the first virtual switch and the second virtual switch. A packet isencapsulated for communication between the first VM and the second VMusing the selected common encapsulation protocol type.

Another embodiment comprises a system that includes a hardware layercomprising physical devices. A plurality of virtual switches are eachassociated with one or more virtual machines (VMs) overlaying thehardware layer. A server including a distributed overlay virtualEthernet (DOVE) connectivity service (DCS) maps packet encapsulationprotocol type information for the plurality of virtual switches anddetermines whether one or more common encapsulation protocol types existfor a first VM associated with a first virtual switch and a second VMassociated with a second virtual switch based on the packetencapsulation protocol map, selects a common encapsulation protocol typeif one or more common encapsulation protocol types exist for the firstvirtual switch and the second virtual switch. The first virtual switchencapsulates a packet for communication between the first VM and thesecond VM using the selected common encapsulation protocol type.

Another embodiment comprises a computer program product for providinginteroperability between hosts supporting multiple encapsulation. Thecomputer program product comprises a computer-readable storage mediumhaving program code embodied therewith, the program codereadable/executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:mapping, by the processor, packet encapsulation protocol typeinformation for a plurality of virtual switches. In one embodiment, eachvirtual switch is associated with one or more virtual machines (VMs). Inone embodiment, it is determined by the processor whether one or morecommon encapsulation protocol types exist for a first VM associated witha first virtual switch and a second VM associated with a second virtualswitch based on the mapping. A common encapsulation protocol type isselected by the processor if it is determined that one or more commonencapsulation protocol types exist for the first virtual switch and thesecond virtual switch. A packet is encapsulated by the processor tocommunicate between the first VM and the second VM using the selectedcommon encapsulation protocol type.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become understood with reference to the followingdescription, appended claims, and accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a cloud computing node, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 depicts a cloud computing environment, according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 3 depicts abstraction model layers, according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a distributed overlay virtualenvironment for employing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates another block diagram of a distributed overlayvirtual environment, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates an encapsulation format that may be used, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example distributed virtualEthernet (DOVE) connectivity service (DCS) response, in accordance withan embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing example communications withtranslation gateways, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example process for providinginteroperability between hosts supporting multiple encapsulationnetworks, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is understood in advance that although this disclosure includes adetailed description of cloud computing, implementation of the teachingsrecited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded and automatically, without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneous,thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or data center).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active consumer accounts). Resource usage canbe monitored, controlled, and reported, thus providing transparency forboth the provider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isthe ability to use the provider's applications running on a cloudinfrastructure. The applications are accessible from various clientdevices through a thin client interface such as a web browser (e.g.,web-based email). The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including network, servers, operating systems,storage, or even individual application capabilities, with the possibleexception of limited consumer-specific application configurationsettings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication-hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is the ability to provision processing, storage, networks, andother fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able todeploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating systemsand applications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for loadbalancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic of an example of a cloud computingnode is shown. Cloud computing node 10 is only one example of a suitablecloud computing node and is not intended to suggest any limitation as tothe scope of use or functionality of embodiments of the inventiondescribed herein. Regardless, cloud computing node 10 is capable ofbeing implemented and/or performing any of the functionality set forthhereinabove.

In cloud computing node 10, there is a computer system/server 12, whichis operational with numerous other general purpose or special purposecomputing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-knowncomputing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may besuitable for use with computer system/server 12 include, but are notlimited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thinclients, thick clients, handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based systems, set-top boxes, programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframecomputer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments thatinclude any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computer system/server 12 may be described in the general context ofcomputer system-executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer system. Generally, program modules may includeroutines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and soon that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Computer system/server 12 may be practiced in distributed cloudcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be locatedin both local and remote computer system storage media, including memorystorage devices.

As shown in FIG. 1, computer system/server 12 in cloud computing node 10is shown in the form of a general purpose computing device. Thecomponents of computer system/server 12 may include, but are not limitedto, one or more processors or processing units 16, a system memory 28,and a bus 18 that couples various system components including systemmemory 28 to processor 16.

Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures,including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, anaccelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of avariety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation,such architectures may include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus,Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, VideoElectronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and PeripheralComponent Interconnects (PCI) bus.

Computer system/server 12 typically includes a variety of computersystem readable media. Such media may be any available media that isaccessible by computer system/server 12, and it includes both volatileand non-volatile media, removable, and non-removable media.

System memory 28 can include computer system readable media in the formof volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 30 and/or cachememory 32. Computer system/server 12 may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 34 can be provided forreading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media(not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, amagnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable,non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical diskdrive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile opticaldisk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or other optical media can be provided.In such instances, each can be connected to bus 18 by one or more datamedia interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,memory 28 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g.,at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out thefunctions of embodiments of the invention.

The embodiments of the invention may be implemented as a computerreadable signal medium, which may include a propagated data signal withcomputer readable program code embodied therein (e.g., in baseband or aspart of a carrier wave). Such a propagated signal may take any of avariety of forms including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic,optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signalmedium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computerreadable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, ortransport a program for use by or in connection with an instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium including, but not limited to, wireless,wired, optical fiber cable, radio frequency (RF), etc., or any suitablecombination of the foregoing.

Program/utility 40, having a set (at least one) of program modules 42,may be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and not limitation, aswell as an operating system, one or more application programs, otherprogram modules, and program data. Each of the operating systems, one ormore application programs, other program modules, and program data orsome combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules 42 generally carry out the functions and/ormethodologies of embodiments of the invention as described herein.

The computer system/server 12 may also communicate with one or moreexternal devices 14, such as a keyboard, a pointing device, etc.; adisplay 24; one or more devices that enable a consumer to interact withthe computer system/server 12; and/or any devices (e.g., network card,modem, etc.) that enable the computer system/server 12 to communicatewith one or more other computing devices. Such communication can occurvia I/O interfaces 22. Still yet, the computer system/server 12 cancommunicate with one or more networks such as a local area network(LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g.,the Internet) via a network adapter 20. As depicted, the network adapter20 communicates with the other components of the computer system/server12 via a bus 18. It should be understood that although not shown, otherhardware and/or software components could be used in conjunction withthe computer system/server 12. Examples include, but are not limited to:microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external diskdrive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival storagesystems, etc.

Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrative cloud computing environment 50 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 comprises one or morecloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices used bycloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA)or cellular telephone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C,and/or automobile computer system 54N may communicate. Nodes 10 maycommunicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown) physicallyor virtually, in one or more networks, such as private, community,public, or hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combinationthereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offerinfrastructure, platforms, and/or software as services for which a cloudconsumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shownin FIG. 2 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type ofcomputerized device over any type of network and/or network addressableconnection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 3, a set of functional abstraction layers providedby cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 2) is shown. It should beunderstood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shownin FIG. 3 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of theinvention are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layers andcorresponding functions are provided:

A hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include mainframes. In oneexample, hardware components comprise IBM® zSeries® systems and RISC(Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture-based servers. In oneexample, hardware components comprise IBM pSeries® systems, IBM xSeries®systems, IBM BladeCenter® systems, storage devices, networks, andnetworking components. Examples of software components include networkapplication server software. In one example, software componentscomprise IBM WebSphere® application server software and databasesoftware. In one example, software components comprise IBM DB2® databasesoftware. (IBM, zSeries, pSeries, xSeries, BladeCenter, WebSphere, andDB2 are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporationregistered in many jurisdictions worldwide.)

A virtualization layer 62 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers;virtual storage; virtual networks, including virtual private networks;virtual applications and operating systems; and virtual clients.

In one example, a management layer 64 may provide the functionsdescribed below. Resource provisioning provides dynamic procurement ofcomputing resources and other resources that are utilized to performtasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and pricingprovide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloudcomputing environment and provide billing or invoicing for consumptionof these resources. In one example, these resources may compriseapplication software licenses. Security provides identity verificationfor cloud consumers and tasks as well as protection for data and otherresources. Consumer portal provides access to the cloud computingenvironment for consumers and system administrators. Service levelmanagement provides cloud computing resource allocation and managementsuch that required service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA)planning and fulfillment provides pre-arrangement for, and procurementof, cloud computing resources for which a future requirement isanticipated in accordance with an SLA.

A workloads layer 66 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation; software development and lifecycle management; virtualclassroom education delivery; data analytics processing; transactionprocessing; and encapsulation mapping and communication. As mentionedabove, all of the foregoing examples described with respect to FIG. 3are illustrative only, and the invention is not limited to theseexamples.

It is understood all functions of the present invention as describedherein are typically performed by the network independent networkinterface system 500 (FIG. 5), which can be tangibly embodied as modulesof program code 42 of program/utility 40 (FIG. 1). However, this neednot be the case. Rather, the functionality recited herein could becarried out/implemented and/or enabled by any of the layers 60-66 shownin FIG. 3.

It is reiterated that although this disclosure includes a detaileddescription on cloud computing, implementation of the teachings recitedherein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather, theembodiments of the present invention are intended to be implemented withany type of clustered computing environment now known or laterdeveloped.

Embodiments of the invention relate to providing interoperabilitybetween hosts supporting multiple encapsulation. One embodiment includesa method that includes mapping packet encapsulation protocol typeinformation for virtual switches. Each virtual switch is associated withone or more virtual machines (VMs). In one embodiment, it is determinedwhether one or more common encapsulation protocol types exist for afirst VM associated with a first virtual switch and a second VMassociated with a second virtual switch based on the mapping. In oneembodiment, a common encapsulation protocol type is selected if it isdetermined that one or more common encapsulation protocol types existfor the first virtual switch and the second virtual switch. A packet isencapsulated for communication between the first VM and the second VMusing the selected common encapsulation protocol type.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram illustrating a distributed overlay virtualenvironment 400 for employing an embodiment of the present invention. Inone embodiment, the distributed overlay virtual environment 400 maycomprise a distributed overlay virtual Ethernet (DOVE) network system.The distributed overlay virtual environment 400 includes multiplevirtual systems (or networks) 405 (also known as DOVE modules in oneembodiment) each comprising a server 310 (or host) with a virtual switch315, hypervisor 316 and VMs 320, which overlay a physical layer 325(e.g., including physical hardware and software processes) that mayinclude physical switches, routers, servers, gateways, firewalls, etc.The physical layer 325 may also be referred to as the under layer. Inone embodiment, overlay network segments 1-N 305 (e.g., overlay networksegments 1-3) connect the multiple systems for communication of thedifferent elements (e.g., hypervisors 316, VMs 320), where N is apositive number (e.g., 2, 3, 5, 10, etc.). It should be noted that whilethree systems 405 are shown, more (or less) systems 405 may be includedin the distributed overlay virtual environment 400. In one embodiment,the virtual switches 315 comprise DOVE switches.

In one embodiment, the overlay network segments 1-N 305 create overlaynetworks between the hypervisors 316 and use encapsulation of packets,where packets originating from one VM 320 are encapsulated (e.g., addingoverlay and physical network headers) and the physical layer 325(underlay) is used to deliver to a server 310 where the target VM 320resides. In one embodiment, in the physical layer 325, an outer headeris used by physical switches to forward packets, where an overlayidentification (ID) in an encapsulation header provides trafficisolation. Incoming packets to a virtual switch 315 of a destinationserver 310 are decapsulated (e.g., the encapsulation headers arestripped from the packet) and delivered to a destination VM 320. In oneembodiment, address independence between different virtual systems 405is supported. For example, two different VMs 320 operating in twodifferent systems 405 may have the same Internet Protocol (IP) addressand media access control (MAC) address. As another example, the systems405 support deploying VMs 320, which belong to the same system 405, todifferent hosts that are located in different physical subnets (includesswitches and/or routers between the physical entities). In anotherembodiment, VMs 320 belonging to different systems 405 may be hosted onthe same physical host. In yet another embodiment, the systems 405support VM 320 migration anywhere in a data center without changing theVM 320 network address and losing its network connection.

In one embodiment, the systems 405 encapsulate data with physical pathtranslations based upon policies (e.g., from a DCS), and send theencapsulated data between systems 405 that, in turn, is decapsulated andforwarded to a destination VM 320. In one embodiment, the policiesdescribe in a logical manner how data is required to be sent overvirtual networks without details of the underlying physical entitiesthat performs particular tasks.

In one embodiment, the hypervisors 316 (e.g., VM 320 managers) allowmultiple operating systems (e.g., VMs, such as VMs 320) to runconcurrently on a host computer. A hypervisor 316 provides abstractionof physical resources to the VMs 320. For example, a physical networkinterface card (NIC) may be abstracted as a virtual NIC (vNIC) of asystem 405. In one embodiment, a virtual switch 315 is a softwareabstraction of an Ethernet switch in the hypervisor 316 for providingconnectivity for VMs 320.

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram illustrating a distributed overlayvirtual environment 500 for showing example for address discovery, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. In one embodiment, thedistributed overlay virtual environment 500 includes multiple systems405, and a clustered DOVE connectivity service (DCS) 520. In oneembodiment, the DCS 520 comprises multiple DCS nodes 510 and a DOVEmanagement console 515 for managing the multiple DCS nodes 510 andproviding the DCS node 510 an internet protocol (IP) address to avirtual switch 315. In one embodiment, on a VM 320 activation, a virtualswitch 315 detects the IP/MAC address of the VM 320 and updates addressmapping in the DCS 520. In one embodiment, the DCS nodes 510 share theaddress mapping information in the clustered DCS 520. In one exampleembodiment, a first VM 320 begins communicating with a second VM 320 inanother system 405. The virtual switch 315 associated with the first VM320 requests resolution from a DCS 510 servicing the virtual switch 315.The DCS 510 responds with the second VM 320 mapping information, whichis cached locally at the virtual switch 315. In one embodiment, themapping is tracked in a DCS node that is hosted by a server 310 andcomprises mapping addresses of VMs 320 and their associated virtualswitches 315.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example encapsulation format that may be used, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. In one embodiment, anoriginal packet 610 may comprise an inner MAC address, an inner IPaddress, and payload information. One VM 320 desires to communicate theoriginal packet 610 from one VM 320 to another VM 320. In oneembodiment, the original packet 610 is encapsulated by a system 405 byadding encapsulation formatted fields 620, such as for an outer MACaddress, outer IP address, user datagram protocol (UDP), theencapsulation protocol header, and an optional field (not shown). In oneembodiment, the encapsulation protocol header comprises a format 630 ofa specific encapsulation protocol type, such as VxLAN, NVGRE, etc. Inone embodiment, each virtual switch 315 supports specific tunnelingtranslation encapsulation protocol formats. If an encapsulated packet issent to a VM 320 associated with a virtual switch 315 that doesn'tsupport the encapsulation protocol type for the encapsulated packet, thepacket must be formatted or translated (e.g., by a translation gateway910/920, FIG. 8) with an encapsulation protocol type that it canprocess.

In one embodiment, the virtual switch 315 interoperate with a DCS node510 and exchanges information with the DCS node 510 using type-lengthvalue (TLV)/UDP based protocol. The DCS node 510 replicates informationfor forwarding requests and communicating a DCS node IP address to thevirtual switch 315.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example DCS query—response 800, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. In one embodiment, thevirtual switch 315 forwards a request 810 for TUNNEL_INFO type lookupfrom the DCS cluster 520. In one embodiment, the request includes arequest for the End Point IP address and the network identifier (e.g.,virtual network ID) for communicating with a destination VM 320 and theDCS responds with the End Point MAC and TUNNEL_INFO. In one embodiment,the DCS node 510 enhances the TUNNEL_INFO mapping of address of VMs 320and virtual switches 315 with the encapsulation/tunnel types (e.g.,VxLAN, NVGRE, C, D, etc.) that are supported by each virtual switch 315.In one embodiment, the DCS node 510 further maintains a list of eachtranslation gateway (e.g., translation gateway 910, translation gateway920, etc., FIG. 9) and maps each gateway in the list with encapsulationprotocol/tunnel type translation capabilities of each respectivegateway.

In one embodiment, a DCS node 510 responds to the request 810 byproviding the virtual switch 315 with information 820 comprising EndPoint information 825 and tunnel information 830. In one embodiment, theEnd Point information comprises VNID, End Point MAC address, End PointIP address, and the tunnel information 830 comprises VNID, Tunnel EndPoint (TEP also referred to as DOVE vSwitch) port, IP address value,tunnel type supported, translation gateway, and tunnel types supported.In this embodiment, in addition to the location information (e.g., EndPoint information 825), the type of encapsulation protocol/tunnel typesupported (e.g., tunnel information 830) is also supplied to the sourcevirtual switch 315.

In one embodiment, once a source virtual switch 315 for a first VM 320obtains the address location information and the tunnel type supportedby the virtual switch 315 for the destination VM 320, the source virtualswitch 315 determines whether the destination virtual switch 315 (e.g.,the tunneling endpoint) and itself can support a common tunnel type. Inone embodiment, the source virtual switch 315 selects a common tunneltype supported by itself and the destination virtual switch 315 andencapsulates a packet with the common tunnel type supported by itselfand the destination virtual switch 315 for the destination VM 320. Inthis embodiment, based on the selected tunnel type that is common toboth virtual switches 315, no translation is required to occur via atranslation gateway (e.g., translation gateway 910, translation gateway920, etc., FIG. 8), which provides better efficiency due to lessprocessing and communication latency.

In one embodiment, a DCS node 510 creates a list of supported tunneltypes supported by each virtual switch 315 and assigns a priority foreach supported tunnel type supported for each virtual switch 315. In oneembodiment, the priority may be determined based on the number ofvirtual switches 315 that support a particular tunnel type, a systemadministrator preference, efficiency of processing particular tunneltypes, etc. In one embodiment, the list of supported tunnel types foreach virtual switch 315 is sorted in priority order, and the sourcevirtual switch 315 selects the common tunnel type supported by thesource virtual switch 315 and the destination virtual switch 315 basedon highest priority.

In one embodiment, if the source virtual switch 315 determines that nocommon tunnel type exists for itself and the destination virtual switch315, the source virtual switch 315 uses the list of availabletranslation gateways for selecting a nearest translation gateway to usethat supports at least one tunnel type format that is supported by thesource virtual switch 315 and at least another tunnel type supported bythe destination virtual switch 315. In this embodiment, the nearesttranslation gateway that implements a common denominator of tunnel typessupported by the source virtual switch 315 and the destination virtualswitch 315 is used as a destination tunneling endpoint for reducinglookup processing and latency.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing example communication 900 withtranslation gateways 910 and 920, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention. In one embodiment, to communicate between a first VM 320from system A and a second VM 320 from system B, since the virtualswitch 315 from system A supports tunnel type D, and after the sourcevirtual switch 315 determines that the destination virtual switch 315supports tunnel type D (based on a response to a request to the addressservice 925 including a DCS), the source switch 315 encapsulates apacket using the tunnel type D and sends the packet for its associatedVM 320 to the destination virtual switch 315 without having to firstsend the packet to a translation gateway (e.g., translation gateway 910or 920). In the example communication 900, communication from system Bto system D is direct as both virtual switches 315 support tunnel type A(e.g., a common tunnel type).

In one example embodiment, when a VM 320 on system B communicates with aVM 320 on system C, the source virtual switch 315 receives the tunneltype information of the destination virtual switch 315 (for thedestination VM 320) in a response from the address service 925 to alocation request. In one example, it is determined that the two virtualswitches 315 do not support a common tunnel type (e.g., the virtualswitch 315 of system B supports tunnel type A and D, and the virtualswitch 315 of system C supports tunnel type B). In one example, thevirtual switch 315 from system A queries the DCS from the addressservice 925 to obtain a list of translation gateways that support atleast one format supported by the virtual switch 315 from system B andat least one format supported by the virtual switch 315 from system C.From the obtained list of translation gateways, the virtual switch 315from system A determines that the closest (and in this example, only)translation gateway that supports formats A and D (for the virtualswitch 315 from system B) and format B (from the virtual switch 315 fromsystem C) is the translation gateway 910. In one embodiment, from theobtained list, the virtual switch 315 from system B encapsulates thedata packet using the tunnel type that it has in common with thetranslation gateway 910 (e.g., tunnel type A or D) and sends theencapsulated packet to the translation gateway 910. The translationgateway 910 removes the existing encapsulation header and applies a newheader that is compatible with the virtual switch 315 of system C forthe destination VM 320, in this case, using tunnel type B.

In another example embodiment, when a VM 320 on system C communicateswith a VM 320 on system D, the source virtual switch 315 receives thetunnel type information of the destination virtual switch 315 (for thedestination VM 320). In one example, it is determined that the twovirtual switches 315 do not support a common tunnel type (e.g., thevirtual switch 315 of system C supports tunnel type B, and the virtualswitch 315 of system D supports tunnel types A and C). In one example,the virtual switch 315 from system C queries the DCS from the addressservice 925 to obtain a list of translation gateways that support atleast one format supported by the virtual switch 315 from system C andat least one format supported by the virtual switch 315 from system D.From the obtained list of translation gateways, the virtual switch 315from system A determines that both translation gateway 910 andtranslation gateway 920 support tunnel type B. However, the closesttranslation gateway that supports tunnel format B is the translationgateway 920. In one embodiment, from the obtained list, the virtualswitch 315 from system C encapsulates the data packet using the tunneltype that it has in common with the translation gateway 920 (e.g.,tunnel type B) and sends the encapsulated packet to the translationgateway 920. The translation gateway 920 removes the existingencapsulation header and applies a new header that is compatible withthe virtual switch 315 of system D for the destination VM 320, in thiscase, using tunnel type C.

FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram for the example process 1000providing interoperability between hosts supporting multipleencapsulation networks, according to one embodiment. In one embodiment,process block 1010 provides mapping packet encapsulation protocol typeinformation for a plurality of virtual switches (e.g., virtual switches315), wherein each virtual switch is associated with one or more VMs(e.g., a VM 320). In one embodiment, process block 1020 providesdetermining whether one or more common encapsulation protocol typesexist for a first VM associated with a first virtual switch and a secondVM associated with a second virtual switch based on the mapping. In oneembodiment, process block 1030 provides selecting a common encapsulationprotocol type if it is determined that one or more common encapsulationprotocol types exist for the first virtual switch and the second virtualswitch. In one embodiment, process block 1040 provides encapsulating apacket for communication between the first VM and the second VM usingthe selected common encapsulation protocol type.

In one embodiment, process 1000 further provides creating a list ofavailable translation gateways, wherein the list comprises translationcapability for each translation gateway. Upon determining that a commonencapsulation protocol type for the first virtual switch and the secondvirtual switch does not exist, the list of available translationgateways is used for selecting a translation gateway to use thatsupports at least one encapsulation format supported by the firstvirtual switch and at least another encapsulation format supported bythe second virtual switch. In one embodiment, the process 1000 furthercomprises providing encapsulation capabilities of a tunneling endpointon which the first virtual switch resides to a server including a DCS,and upon determining that a common encapsulation protocol type for thefirst virtual switch and the second virtual switch does not exist,information is provided for a nearest translation gateway thatimplements a common denominator of encapsulation protocol typessupported by the first virtual switch and the second virtual switch foruse as a destination tunneling endpoint.

The systems 400 and 500 may include one or more source programs,executable programs (object code), scripts, or any other entitycomprising a set of computer program instructions to be performed. Whenthe systems 400 and 500 include a source program, then the program isusually translated via a compiler, assembler, interpreter, or the like,which may or may not be included within a storage device. These computerprogram instructions may also be stored in a computer readable mediumthat can direct a computer, other programmable data processingapparatus, or other devices to function in a particular manner, suchthat the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement thefunction/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

In the context of this document, a “computer-readable medium” can storethe program for use by or in connection with the instruction executionsystem, apparatus, or device. The computer readable medium is anelectronic, magnetic, optical, or semiconductor system, apparatus,device, or other physical device or means that can store a computerprogram for use by or in connection with a computer related system ormethod.

More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readablemedium would include the following: a portable computer diskette(magnetic or optical), a random access memory (RAM) (electronic), aread-only memory (ROM) (electronic), an erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EPROM, EEPROM, or Flash memory) (electronic), and a portablecompact disc memory (CDROM, CD R/W) (optical).

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing.

In one embodiment, where the systems 400 and 500 are implemented inhardware, the systems 400 and 500 can be implemented with any one or acombination of the following technologies, which are each well known inthe art: a discrete logic circuit(s) having logic gates for implementinglogic functions upon data signals, an application specific integratedcircuit (ASIC) having appropriate combinational logic gates, aprogrammable gate array(s) (PGA), a field programmable gate array(FPGA), etc.

Aspects of the present invention are described below with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of thepresent invention, particularly, any “preferred” embodiments, are merelypossible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clearunderstanding of the principles of the invention.

Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-describedembodiment(s) of the invention without departing substantially from thespirit and principles of the invention. All such modifications andvariations are intended to be included herein within the scope of thisdisclosure and the present invention and protected by the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: mapping packet encapsulationprotocol type information for a plurality of virtual switches, whereineach virtual switch being associated with one or more virtual machines(VMs); determining whether one or more common encapsulation protocoltypes exist for a first VM associated with a first virtual switch and asecond VM associated with a second virtual switch based on the mapping;selecting a common encapsulation protocol type if it is determined thatone or more common encapsulation protocol types exist for the firstvirtual switch and the second virtual switch; and encapsulating a packetfor communication between the first VM and the second VM using theselected common encapsulation protocol type.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising: creating a list of supported encapsulation protocoltypes for each virtual switch; assigning a priority for each supportedencapsulation protocol type for each virtual switch; and sorting thelist of supported encapsulation protocol types for each virtual switchin priority order.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein selecting thecommon encapsulation protocol type comprises selecting an encapsulationprotocol type having a highest priority from the list of supportedencapsulation protocol types.
 4. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: creating a list of available translation gateways, whereinthe list comprises translation capability for each translation gateway.5. The method of claim 2, wherein upon determining that a commonencapsulation protocol type for the first virtual switch and the secondvirtual switch does not exist, using the list of available translationgateways for selecting a translation gateway to use that supports atleast one encapsulation format supported by the first virtual switch andat least another encapsulation format supported by the second virtualswitch.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: providingencapsulation capabilities of a tunneling endpoint on which the firstvirtual switch resides to a server including a distributed overlayvirtual Ethernet (DOVE) connectivity service (DCS).
 7. The method ofclaim 6, wherein upon determining that a common encapsulation protocoltype for the first virtual switch and the second virtual switch does notexist, providing information for a nearest translation gateway thatimplements a common denominator of encapsulation protocol typessupported by the first virtual switch and the second virtual switch foruse as a destination tunneling endpoint.
 8. A system comprising: ahardware layer comprising physical devices; a plurality of virtualswitches each associated with one or more virtual machines (VMs)overlaying the hardware layer; and a server including a distributedoverlay virtual Ethernet (DOVE) connectivity service (DCS) that mapspacket encapsulation protocol type information for the plurality ofvirtual switches and determines whether one or more common encapsulationprotocol types exist for a first VM associated with a first virtualswitch and a second VM associated with a second virtual switch based onthe packet encapsulation protocol map, selects a common encapsulationprotocol type if one or more common encapsulation protocol types existfor the first virtual switch and the second virtual switch, wherein thefirst virtual switch encapsulates a packet for communication between thefirst VM and the second VM using the selected common encapsulationprotocol type.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the server includingthe DCS creates a list of supported encapsulation protocol types foreach virtual switch of the plurality of virtual switches, assigns apriority for each supported encapsulation protocol type for each of thevirtual switches, and sorts the list of supported encapsulation protocoltypes for each virtual switch in priority order.
 10. The system of claim9, wherein the server including the DCS selects the common encapsulationprotocol type having a highest priority from the list of supportedencapsulation protocol types.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein theserver including the DCS creates a list of available translationgateways, wherein the list comprises translation capability for eachtranslation gateway.
 12. The system of claim 9, wherein the serverincluding the DCS selects a translation gateway to use by the firstvirtual switch and the second virtual switch, wherein the selectedtranslation gateway supports at least one encapsulation format supportedby the first virtual switch and at least another encapsulation formatsupported by the second virtual switch.
 13. The system of claim 8,wherein the first virtual switch provides encapsulation capabilities ofa tunneling endpoint, on which the first virtual switch resides, to theserver including the DCS.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the serverincluding the DCS provides information for a nearest translation gatewaythat implements a common denominator of encapsulation protocol typessupported by the first virtual switch and the second virtual switch foruse as a destination tunneling endpoint.
 15. A computer program productfor providing interoperability between hosts supporting multipleencapsulation, the computer program product comprising a computerreadable storage device having program code embodied therewith, theprogram code readable/executable by a processor to perform a methodcomprising: mapping, by the processor, packet encapsulation protocoltype information for a plurality of virtual switches, wherein eachvirtual switch being associated with one or more virtual machines (VMs);determining, by the processor, whether one or more common encapsulationprotocol types exist for a first VM associated with a first virtualswitch and a second VM associated with a second virtual switch based onthe mapping; selecting a common encapsulation protocol type, by theprocessor, if it is determined that one or more common encapsulationprotocol types exist for the first virtual switch and the second virtualswitch; and encapsulating a packet, by the processor, for communicationbetween the first VM and the second VM using the selected commonencapsulation protocol type.
 16. The computer program product of claim15, further comprising: creating a list of supported encapsulationprotocol types, by the processor, for each virtual switch; assigning apriority for each supported encapsulation protocol type, by theprocessor, for each virtual switch; and sorting the list of supportedencapsulation protocol types, by the processor, for each virtual switchin priority order.
 17. The computer program product of claim 16, whereinselecting the common encapsulation protocol type comprises selecting anencapsulation protocol type having a highest priority from the list ofsupported encapsulation protocol types.
 18. The computer program productof claim 15, further comprising: creating, by the processor, a list ofavailable translation gateways, wherein the list comprises translationcapability for each translation gateway.
 19. The computer programproduct of claim 16, wherein upon determining that a commonencapsulation protocol type for the first virtual switch and the secondvirtual switch does not exist, using the list of available translationgateways for selecting a translation gateway to use that supports atleast one encapsulation format supported by the first virtual switch andat least another encapsulation format supported by the second virtualswitch.
 20. The computer program product of claim 15, furthercomprising: providing, by the processor, encapsulation capabilities of atunneling endpoint on which the first virtual switch resides to a serverincluding a distributed overlay virtual Ethernet (DOVE) connectivityservice (DCS), wherein, upon determining that a common encapsulationprotocol type for the first virtual switch and the second virtual switchdoes not exist, providing information for a nearest translation gatewaythat implements a common denominator of encapsulation protocol typessupported by the first virtual switch and the second virtual switch foruse as a destination tunneling endpoint.